Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-08-12
NIlIILIST HARTMAN.
THE RUSSIAN REFUGEE LIVING NEAR
THE NEW YORK PoSToFFIcE.

He Talks Freely and Tells Some Bitter
Truths OF Kussia-Thc Courts OF the
Cxar's Empire-Terrors OF Central
/ Prison.
/ Leo Hartman, the Nihilist, who was
charged with killing Alexander II, Of All the
| Russias, on whose head the Russian govern
ment put great price, who was imprisoned
| by France 1t the Instance of Russia, who was
shielded by England and Afterwards came
| near being handed over to Russian vengeance
| by tho then secretary OF state, James g.
! Blaine, who has been for years under the sur
| veillancs Of Russian dstactives, was found q
! few days ago by reporter In . rather small
room OF an old fashioned houss scarcely q
stones throw from The World Office.
Seated In Hartman's Workshop, surrounded
| by evidences Of his genius, IL seemed almost
incredible that the man telling tho story Of his
country's wrongs could be he who was tho
central figure OF the civilized world . few
years ago sa
sAmericans, with the utmost liberty Of
pres. speech and assemblage, and with free
ballot, cannot possibly conceive of the con-
dition Of Russia today said Leo Hartman.
@They cannot imagine how the win Of one
man, however distorted his mind, can be the
lAw, 10 be executed by every official, who
represouts only that Will BY the greatest
stretch Of the Imagination Americans cannot
understand how Il can b capital ofYense to
criticize the words or acts Of . car. Yet II
b 20 in Russia. whore men are ssnt to Hiberia
fof talking disraspectfully to policeman"
THAT cannot BE- possible. You are exagger-
atingI" exclaimed the reporter
sIt Is true, every word. ! have heard pco-
horn
know what police tyranny means In Russia
the municipalities do not appoint tho police.
II is the czar. They are his officers, and are
above the law, owing to no one an account
but him. These are the open police, and al
though they are tyrants and TO DO dreaded
they are not to be compared to the political
detectives and gems d'armes Of the ministry
Of the interior.
sThey were known at one time rs the third
section OF the imperial chancellory. The
name became such a terror, even In that
country Of terrorism, that the czar was
forced to pretend TO abolish 1t. 1t still exists
| a. . special department Of the interior.
Thoss who compose II are independent of all
law. Without form OF law they have power
TO search any house and arrest all its inmates
on suspicion. Those arrested never know on
what charge they are held They have no
i
| the scaffold, as may seem hest to tho depart
ment There Is no appeal possible, for no
court has any Jurisdiction over political
II person h sent to Siberia he Is an admin
istrative exile and can never return except
| by consent OF the third section. As I said il
Is only necessary to be suspected in order to
be arrested, and II the name of another per-
son is found on the suspect he or she too must
| suffer-
"But are there no courts in Russian
certainly there are, and . jury system,
too; but they are for criminals--murderers
thieves, etc. may say, in passing, that
there is no capital punishment In Russia ex-
cept for political offenses. In the territorial
prison III which I spent nine months, in
Ekaterinodar, there were men who had com
mitted from ten TO thirty murders and high
| way robberies. They were exiled, while a
landlord, owning thousands OF acres OF land.
was hanged because lac gave money TO propa-
gate republicanism. That was before the
terrorist movement began. When promi-
nent man Is arrested, a nobleman or an Of
| fetal, for political offenss, and 1t cannot be
hidden, he is taken before court But what
"a courtl For such cases the judges are APP
pointed by the ministry OF justice or war.
There Is no jury. The accused Is not per-
mitted to have lawyer, except, sometimes,
an army officer is detailed for that duty by
the ministry / need not say that never
knew or heard of case in which a prisoner
before such court ever regained his free
dom. To be even suspected is to be doomed
For IL the judge could not find the prisoner
guilty the third section exiled him anyway. "
@These men Of whom you speak, mean
the prisoners, are they all Nihilistsw
"Not by any means. As told you a man
has only to express an opinion contrary to
that OF policeman, detective or some off,
cial to secure his arrest and exile. What do
you think OF its being an offense, punishable
with exile, to read any work written by Her.
bert Spencer, Professor Huxley, Darwin,
John Stuart Mills 'Utilitarianism,' 'Emanci-
patton OF Women or Political Economy.
Robert Owens Moral Government,' or such
worksl Those sent to Siberia are not Mill.
lists or Terrorists. The Terrorists are ALWAYS
executed or die in prison."
"Are the Nihilists very numerous now in
Russian
More numerous than ever, and more de-
FAINT than when l was In Russia You
noticed, probably, that those arrested on the
last attempt to execute the car offered no re-
sistance nor did they try to hide their pur.
pose. But in Russia they are not called Mill
ists-they belong to the party of the viii OF
the People, and the Extremists are known as
Active Terrorists.' Not one of my coadju,
tors is alive to-day; but as fast as they fall
their places are filed by others In the party
there are representatives of every class In the
community and every grade of official. from
the priest and noble TO the peasant. Origin
ally the party believed merely In propagatino
the necessity for republican form Of
government, and but for the terrorism of this
car II would have remained so until to-day
We ask that national assembly be called e
decide the form OF government for Russia
For agitating this question our people wer,
hanged or incarccrated In central prisons
which was worse. These central prisons arr
under the direct control of tho central govern
mient and distinct from territorial prisons
The walls of the cells are yart
wide, with vaulted ceilings. The floor,
are thickly matted, so are the corridors ont
side. Light is admitted from a small win
dow In the roof. Food is supplied on a slidins
table from the outside. hole the size Of
dollar In the massive door Of the cell per
mits the 5ailer to SEQ what the prisoner 1
doing, without himself being observed. On,
never knows when that eye Is on him. In
tense silence reigns The prisoner has moth
ing to occupy him but his thoughts II,
never sees the face Of man. He is in a liyinl
tomb. Is it any wonder that In about ST,
months mans mind gives way, or that IL
two years he dies araving maniaci Such ha
been the fate OF men and women imprisor.es
because they believed in form OF govern